Those look good, vijita! I've never tried using baking soda - what do you find it adds to the dish? Does it make the chickpeas softer or something?My old housemate used to reserve the chickpea cooking liquid to use when blending the chickpeas, which added some flavour. If blended right away, the warm water makes it easier to get a nice smooth hommus as well. I prefer the method of not adding any oil until after the hommus is made, then transferring to a bowl or container and just drizzling olive oil on top - you get a good olive oil flavour then too. I sometimes top it with smoked paprika then as well, which is really yummy.

Other than that, I find that adding plenty of lemon juice and garlic really helps it to not be bland.

_________________If I chew on garlic that's been in a vagina, isn't that exploiting SOMEONE? - coldandsleepyAfter all, you can't spell Richard Dawkins without "dickwad". - EmperorTomatoKetchup

I'm glad you posted this thread! I think store bought hummus tastes way better than anything I've made at home, and I have tried quite a few recipes. I haven't tried the one Vijita posted though, I'll give that a whirl.

_________________I like my bagels like I like my men - big and covered with earth balance & nooch. - Bunniee

The roasted red pepper hummus & creamy hummus from Vive Le Vegan are both really good and flavorful! My mom has actually requested that I bring the red pepper hummus it over for parties and family events.

lp, it's not IN the hummus, it's in the chickpea cooking water. Alkaline makes vegetables mushy and acid makes them tough! and then a bunch of weird stuff happens to the pigments, too! i had to memorize all the pigment changes for basic or acidic environments for the registered dietitian exam. who knows why, but it was kind of fun.

_________________I am not a troll. I am TELLING YOU THE ******GOD'S TRUTH****** AND YOU JUST DON'T WANT THE HEAR IT DO YOU?

Baking soda also helps falafel, although I put it in the falafel mix (because falafel is made from just soaked, not cooked chickpeas, maybe they get cooked in the fryer? the baking soda also adds a little lift I think, less density).

I always find if I subtract the amount of tahini almost any recipie calls for, it makes it more flavorful. Tahini just kind of smooths out the flavors too much I feel like, so too much is not a good thing. And extra lemon for shizzle.

Not 100% traditional, but the roasted eggplant and garlic hummus from Yellow Rose Recipes is the bomb - it's like hummus and baba ghanoush got together and made a beautiful love child. (PM me for the recipe if you're interested and don't have the book.)

Besides cooked from dry, and using chickpea cooking water, and a shitton of salt and oil, I think it's the blender/processor that makes hummus taste like store bought.

Make that shiitake in a blentec or vitamix, and you'll see what I mean.

Personally, I have a decent food processor, and prefer my hummus with less oil and salt, and more lemon or other favors, like roasted garlic or red peppers. That way I can eat more. Store bought makes my mouth itch now, maybe it's the salt.

My tip for tasty hummus is to use roasted garlic instead of raw, and add half to a whole bulb. We have really hard water here, so I add bicarb of soad to the soaking water, and a little to the cooking water, with sea salt and a couple of bay leaves. I also add a dash of cayenne pepper to my hummus.